Bancroft, a nonprofit provider of services for individuals with autism, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and Cooper University Health Care of Camden said July 10 that they have partnered on a mobile clinic designed to improve health outcomes for adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The mobile clinic was the idea of Bancroft’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Karen Lindgren and Cooper University Chief Patient Experience Officer/SVP Dr. Franziska Jovin. They envisioned a way to make health care more accessible for those in the autism and I/DD communities who often have difficulty accessing medical services in a traditional way because of communication challenges, behavioral needs, and gaps in information sharing.
The mobile clinic sees those in Bancroft’s care who are current Cooper patients in Camden and Burlington counties. The care is provided in Bancroft group homes, day programs and the Resnick clinic. Cooper nurse practitioners and a medical assistant work in tandem with Bancroft staff to identify and address potential health issues and treat them early. Nurses can perform routine exams that include heart rate, temperature and blood pressure monitoring as well as more complex exams using a portable EKG machine and bladder scan.
The mobile clinic is serving more than 50 people and Cooper University Health Care and Bancroft have plans to grow the program to support over 150.
“Those with autism are up to three times more likely to experience chronic health conditions like anxiety, depression, and obesity. Yet adults with autism are 2.5 times more likely to avoid medical care,” said Lindgren. “They are navigating a system that isn’t built for them, and we need to change that and meet them where they are.”
The mobile clinic was made possible through a grant provided to Cooper. In addition to the care being provided, research will also be conducted to measure outcomes and gauge the value of the program being replicated.
“This is going to improve health-care outcomes,” said Jovin. “This is going to improve the patient experience.”
Bancroft is a regional nonprofit provider of specialized services for those with autism, intellectual or developmental disabilities and those in need of neurological rehabilitation.
